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Behavioural responses of an Australian colubrid snake (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) to a novel toxic prey item (the Cane Toad Rhinella marina)

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Abstract

The invasion of a toxic prey type can differentially affect closely related predator species. In Australia, the invasive Cane Toad (Rhinella marina) kills native anurophagous predators that cannot tolerate the toad’s toxins; but predators that are physiologically resistant (i.e., belong to lineages that entered Australia recently from Asia, where toads of other species are common) have been more resilient. In the current study, we examine the case of an Asian-derived predator lineage that relies on behavioural not physiological adaptations to deal with toads. Despite their Asian origins, Common Tree Snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) are highly sensitive to toad toxins; yet this snake has not declined in abundance due to toads. We exposed captive (field-collected) snakes to toads of different sizes and ontogenetic stages, to quantify feeding responses and outcomes. Tree Snakes were less likely to attack toads than to attack native frogs, and rarely retained their hold on large toads. Tree Snakes ingested frogs of a wide range of body sizes but only ingested very small toads (< 1 g vs. up to 30 g for frogs). Behavioural responses were virtually identical between Tree Snakes from invaded versus yet-to-be-invaded areas, suggesting that preadaptation (from Asia) rather than adaptation (within Australia) is the key to successful utilisation of this novel but potentially toxic prey resource. Nonetheless, a previously-documented shift in relative head sizes of Tree Snakes coincident with toad invasion suggests that the ancestral behavioural tactic may have been reinforced by a recent morphological shift that further reduces maximal prey size, and hence the risk of fatal poisoning.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Brian West, Ian Eadie, Tanya Ross, Angus McNab, Bill Stewart and Justin Wright for their help collecting snakes, the James Cook University Animal Ethics Committee, and the University of Sydney Animal Care and Ethics Committee for approving all procedures.

Funding

This project was funded by the Australian Research Council (FF0561365).

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Author notes

  1. Neil C. Choyce

    Present address: Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC, 29303, USA

  2. Benjamin L. Phillips

    Present address: School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

  3. Jonathan K. Webb

    Present address: School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, PO Box 123, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Tropical Biodiversity and Climate Change, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, 4811, Australia

    John Llewelyn & Lin Schwarzkopf

  2. School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Benjamin L. Phillips, Jonathan K. Webb & Richard Shine

  3. Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Locked Bag 104, Bentley Delivery Centre, Kensington, WA, 6983, Australia

    David J. Pearson

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  1. John Llewelyn
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Correspondence to Richard Shine.

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Llewelyn, J., Choyce, N.C., Phillips, B.L. et al. Behavioural responses of an Australian colubrid snake (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) to a novel toxic prey item (the Cane Toad Rhinella marina). Biol Invasions 20, 2507–2516 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10530-018-1716-1

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